Cowboy Boots

The need to belong is a powerful force. It's driving men who have never worn a cowboy hat to plunk down $200 for a sassy Stetson. It's compelling women to ditch glamorous evening pumps for a $350 pair of sleek lizard boots. It's got many people thinking of shiny silver buckles, chunky turquoise bolo ties and fringe galore. Anything to belong. Anything to smack of the West; to look and feel a little Texan. This is no time to be shy. Bring on the spurs! Sing out "The Yellow Rose of Texas"!

Meg Kazukynas, a New Havener and local business owner, caught our eye while out for an evening walk near the Peabody Museum on Whitney Avenue. We caught up with her to ask her about her skirt and her boots, which it turns out are a favorite wardrobe staple of hers. CTNow: How would you describe your style? MK: My style certainly varies but the majority of the time I'd say it's "Southern inspired. " Lots of plaid, denim, seersucker, lace, and cowboy boots with every outfit.

The high school will lose more than just its senior class with Wednesday's graduation -- it will also part with Andy Aros, a fast-talking U.S. history teacher with a penchant for cowboy boots and big belt buckles. After 44 years of teaching, the last 38 spent at the high school, Aros, 67, has decided it's time to retire. Of the 14 Newington teachers retiring this year, Aros has the longest teaching record. The school district plans to replace all of the retirees and is in the process of hiring Aros' replacement.

By DANIELA ALTIMARI, dnaltimari@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, December 24, 2011

A middle-age woman wearing sunglasses and brandishing a handgun robbed a package store Saturday afternoon, police said. The bandit walked away with an undisclosed sum of money from the State Line Package Store, 11 Enfield St. just before 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, police said. The suspect, who was wearing a red hooded jacket, jeans and cowboy boots, fled in a white sedan. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Enfield police at 860-763-8911. We tell you what's happening, when it happens, for FREE: Sign-up for Breaking News Mobile to end subscription.

Meg Kazukynas, a New Havener and local business owner, caught our eye while out for an evening walk near the Peabody Museum on Whitney Avenue. We caught up with her to ask her about her skirt and her boots, which it turns out are a favorite wardrobe staple of hers. CTNow: How would you describe your style? MK: My style certainly varies but the majority of the time I'd say it's "Southern inspired. " Lots of plaid, denim, seersucker, lace, and cowboy boots with every outfit.

The boy police believe is the long-missing son of a Connecticut family did not fall into a neighbor's septic tank in Florida 19 years ago, but was put there, investigators say. "This is a homicide," said Jack Espinosa, information director for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department. "The kid could not have put himself in there. Somebody put him there. He was killed and then put in there afterward. That's what we believe." Espinosa said investigators are assuming -- but still waiting for forensic evidence to confirm -- that the bones belong to Matthew Allen Alred, who was last seen as a 3-year-old wearing a white T-shirt, cutoffs and a pair of brown cowboy boots.

A Hartford man who continually kicked his drunken neighbor in the head upon being threatened with a butter knife was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison. George Moore never denied kicking Willard Young more than 40 times nor veered from blaming Young for provoking the attack. And that's exactly what he told Hartford Superior Court Judge Kevin P. McMahon while addressing the court before his sentencing. The ferocity of the attack left Young with permanent brain damage affecting his breathing and memory.

MORRELL, Reginald "Reg" Baden Reginald "Reg" Baden Morrell of Newington passed away on Monday (January 24, 2005) at his home after a long illness. He was the beloved husband of Charlotte "Lee" Morrell. Reg earned his Associate Degree from Morse College, Bachelor Degree from American International College, and Master Degree from the University of Hartford. A Certified Public Accountant, he opened his own accounting practice in Manchester, then moved to New Britain and finally to his office, Morrell, Phillips & Co., on the Berlin Turnpike.

By DANIELA ALTIMARI, dnaltimari@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, December 24, 2011

A middle-age woman wearing sunglasses and brandishing a handgun robbed a package store Saturday afternoon, police said. The bandit walked away with an undisclosed sum of money from the State Line Package Store, 11 Enfield St. just before 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, police said. The suspect, who was wearing a red hooded jacket, jeans and cowboy boots, fled in a white sedan. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Enfield police at 860-763-8911. We tell you what's happening, when it happens, for FREE: Sign-up for Breaking News Mobile to end subscription.

A tiny pair of brown cowboy boots and a boy's skeletal remains found on New Year's Eve in Florida have jolted a Connecticut family back to the day of a little boy's disappearance nearly 19 years ago. Cindy Thompson of Highland Street in Middletown said she remembers as if it were yesterday the day that her 3-yearold brother, Matthew Allen Alred, wearing his favorite brown cowboy boots, walked away from her family's former home in Palm City, Fla.,...

I saw Arnold in person at a the Association of American Editorial Cartoonist's annual convention in California a few years ago. I was shocked at how short he was. He's as tall as I and he was wearing cowboy boots. I'm 5'8", but I'll bet Hollywood could make me look 6'3" in the movies. That's one of the great gifts Hollywood gives us, the grand illusion. All kinds of illusions come out of Hollywood and we peons lap it up. That's why we love it so much when one of the show biz greats goes tumbling down from the heights and goes splat at the front door of the church, or the rehab center.

Ernie Clifford was a character, a gregarious charmer in ostrich cowboy boots and a Stetson hat. For unfathomable reasons he also was captivated by an iconic symbol of the American West: the buffalo, actually, the bison, if you want to be technical. Clifford was born Sept. 17, 1916, to James and Emma Clifford, who had been born in Ireland. He grew up in Manchester with three brothers. His father worked in the Cheney Mills roundhouse, stoking the engines of the trains that employees rode to work.

The high school will lose more than just its senior class with Wednesday's graduation -- it will also part with Andy Aros, a fast-talking U.S. history teacher with a penchant for cowboy boots and big belt buckles. After 44 years of teaching, the last 38 spent at the high school, Aros, 67, has decided it's time to retire. Of the 14 Newington teachers retiring this year, Aros has the longest teaching record. The school district plans to replace all of the retirees and is in the process of hiring Aros' replacement.

MORRELL, Reginald "Reg" Baden Reginald "Reg" Baden Morrell of Newington passed away on Monday (January 24, 2005) at his home after a long illness. He was the beloved husband of Charlotte "Lee" Morrell. Reg earned his Associate Degree from Morse College, Bachelor Degree from American International College, and Master Degree from the University of Hartford. A Certified Public Accountant, he opened his own accounting practice in Manchester, then moved to New Britain and finally to his office, Morrell, Phillips & Co., on the Berlin Turnpike.

It was an unusual week of practice for the Trinity running backs. They took long, direct snaps to get ready to run out of a shotgun formation without a quarterback. Then junior Bill Schweitzer, a transfer quarterback sitting out this year, challenged senior running back Tom Pierandri. If Pierandri reached 1,000 yards for the season, Schweitzer would buy him a pair of cowboy boots. "I needed 239 yards and I didn't know if that was a realistic goal, " Pierandri said. "But I told him I was going for it."

Just look for the woman in the cowboy boots," is the advice those in the know tell GHO fans looking for a convenient, cheap place to park. But it's not really the boots that draw people. Just one look at Heather Eisenbaum as she waves people into her father's yard on Field Road explains her popularity. Eisenbaum, from Avon, looks nowhere near her 48 years, thanks to a healthy life style, a personal trainer, and running three miles several times a week. And she dresses to make the most of her trim figure.

I saw Arnold in person at a the Association of American Editorial Cartoonist's annual convention in California a few years ago. I was shocked at how short he was. He's as tall as I and he was wearing cowboy boots. I'm 5'8", but I'll bet Hollywood could make me look 6'3" in the movies. That's one of the great gifts Hollywood gives us, the grand illusion. All kinds of illusions come out of Hollywood and we peons lap it up. That's why we love it so much when one of the show biz greats goes tumbling down from the heights and goes splat at the front door of the church, or the rehab center.

The need to belong is a powerful force. It's driving men who have never worn a cowboy hat to plunk down $200 for a sassy Stetson. It's compelling women to ditch glamorous evening pumps for a $350 pair of sleek lizard boots. It's got many people thinking of shiny silver buckles, chunky turquoise bolo ties and fringe galore. Anything to belong. Anything to smack of the West; to look and feel a little Texan. This is no time to be shy. Bring on the spurs! Sing out "The Yellow Rose of Texas"!